DENVER – Without further ado, yesterday’s late report that the Lakers and Jazz had consummated a deal involving Caron Butler, Vlade Divac and Devean George for Carlos Boozer was so sloppily inaccurate Daily Nuisance NBA columnist Mitch Lawrence demanded to co-sign my byline.
Considering the two teams never have discussed such a trade and Boozer is not being remotely marketed nothing could be further from the truth, scolds Utah GM Kevin O’Connor.
Mere minor details!
When Jazz owner Larry Miller recently verbally flogged Boozer for not always playing hard, the irresponsible inclination was to project he’d be traded before Thursday’s 3 p.m. (EST) deadline. Aside to GMs: Get your request to put (another) one over on Rob Babcock in now.
Regrettably, many in the media, including myself, missed the next day’s account out of Salt Lake City describing a meeting in which Miller apologized to Boozer for singling him out and embarrassing him publicly.
Bottom line: Everything was squared away and the two vowed to move on in tandem.
Regarding my report of shoptalk between the Lakers and Kings regarding Lamar Odom for Peja Stojakovic and Bobby Jackson, both sides claim no such offer was made. Then again, both sides claim they turned it down.
In reality, the above names were prominently put out there in more than one conversation and Stojakovic’s agent was notified by management his client might be moved before Feb. 24. It still could happen.
Yet, the guy the Kings prefer to kiss off is Chris Webber, who’s close to averaging a triple-double over the last two weeks or so. On one good defensively exploitable leg! And, by all accounts, he’s a pain in the posterior on and off the court, who’s owed $50 million over the next two seasons. So much for the franchise looking forward, so to speak, to its future.
In a concerted effort to dip below the salary cap next season, New Orleans is this space’s nominee to make the most noise before the deadline. Bad back and bad contract ($63M over next four seasons) notwithstanding, Baron Davis is almost guaranteed to go, along some with lesser lights.
I presume it’s no surprise to learn the Raptors are offering to provide asylum for the puffy point guard ($12.3M), a squatter for all but 17 games. Sources say Sam Mitchell’s pet antagonist Rafer Alston ($3.5M), Lamond Murray ($4.8M) and Donyell Marshall ($5.8M; currently, perhaps, the most desirable rising free agent) may want to start getting their Cajun groove on.
Of course, Babcock may want to ask himself: “Hmm, if Davis is unhappy and unhealthy [his people swear to me he doesn’t need back surgery] playing for a Bourbon Street Walker, why would anything change in Toronto?”
Were Davis able to join Vince Carter and Chris Bosh at the hip, now we’re chatting up a sparkling new outlook. As it stands . . .
The glitch to the above scenario, as I understand it, is the 76ers, who, by the way, would love to plant Davis alongside Allen Iverson; the Hawks also are said to be interested in his perishable goods.
Before the Hornets send Davis on his miserable way, they’re determined to relocate Jamal Mashburn ($9.3M, $10M), whose retirement will become official at year’s end (insurance will assume 80 percent of next season’s salary) and Rodney Rogers ($2.7M) for Glenn Robinson ($12.07M).
At the same time, Philly is holding tight because it, too, is in hot pursuit of Marshall, whose 3-point shooting fits in perfectly with Jim O’Brien’s offensive philosophy.
